Netflix On The Chances Of Offline Viewing: 'It's Never Going To Happen'

Netflix's director of corporate communications Cliff Edwards
has put an end to the possibility of offline viewing,
telling TechRadar "it's never going to happen."

While customers with finicky Wi-Fi speeds would certainly
prefer the ability to download a show like "House of Cards" for
crystal-clear viewing at a later time, Edwards called offline
viewing a "short-term fix for a bigger problem," suggesting
Netflix is betting that Wi-Fi speeds will vastly improve in the
coming years, negating the issue.

Netflix has been skeptical of the benefits of offline
viewing in the past,
saying back in 2012: "There are some user cases where
streaming isn't best used — like when you are on a plane with
your device — but it is such a small proportion of the market
it's not really beneficial to pursue this."

While it's easy to envision the average Wi-Fi speed to improve so
that standard-definition and high-definition streaming becomes
largely a hiccup-free experience, Netflix has already
introduced 4K streaming for those with "a steady
internet connection speed of 25Mbps or higher."

4K is still very much a
fledgling market, but the ability to download TV shows and movies
in 4K for offline viewing could allow those with a 4K TV to still
enjoy 4K content like "Breaking Bad" and "House of Cards" without
paying a premium for faster internet. But it sounds as if there's just not enough
demand for Netflix to actively pursue offline viewing
anymore.